The Repossession (10 page)

‘
You’re next
,’ he’d said. ‘
You’re next
.’

Rian had no idea what to do. He stood there and looked at the old farmer out cold on the floor with his false leg askew and then Genie collapsing. So weird. But then again he knew from the golf ball growing in his own throat that he was likely to be sick too. He knew he had to do something.

He woke Genie briefly and made her swallow one of the pills she had brought. He swallowed one himself, careful to read the label. It was definitely Ampicillin and he hoped it would fix things quickly. He dealt with Genie first, carrying her upstairs to a huge bed in the first room with adjoining bathroom. He could see this must have been Marshall’s room at some time before he moved downstairs: his old clothes were still hanging in a cupboard. He made Genie drink bottled water and covered

her with some blankets. Then he returned downstairs and made the farmer comfortable, straightened him out some, put a pillow under his head and covered him up too, rolling him on to a rug, because it was cold on the flagstone floor. He’d done enough caring for his mother to know the best thing to do was make people comfortable and be alert to changes. He still felt weird about the man’s leg falling off.

It was almost an hour before he got around to actually making breakfast for himself and some coffee. He was hoping the smell of cooking would revive people, but only Moucher showed interest, so they ate together, face to face at the table. The dog seemed pretty used to eating at the table so he didn’t question it.

‘You want to come with us, Moucher?’ Rian asked the dog. ‘Don’t exactly know where we’re headed but you can come if you want.’

The dog cocked its head to one side as if contemplating a reply, then with a fast, deft paw movement stole the last of his toast and ran off to eat it under the table. Rian laughed, but instantly regretted it. His throat was raw and the pill had had no time to work its magic. He was sweaty now and knew that he had better find a place to lie down. He placed a mug of water by the old farmer, just far enough away so he wouldn’t spill it and left him

a note to call him if he needed help getting up.

He couldn’t believe how shaky his legs were as he mounted the stairs. Shivering, he lay down on the bed beside Genie and pulled one of the blankets over him.

As he fell asleep he thought he could hear the pig snorting outside the window. He wondered if Genie had given it anything. It would be hungry by now. He realized they had forgotten to shut the barn door. It would have to wait. Everything would have to wait. He touched Genie’s hands and they were burning. Great. He’d done her no favours at all in saving her from her mother. Everything he had done had put her in greater danger. He felt guilty.

Then he slept.

Marshall woke first. It was nearly dark. It took him some time to realize that he was lying on the floor in the kitchen.

Took him a few more minutes to realize that his leg had become detached. He could hear Moucher scratching in his basket. He tried to make out the face of the clock on the range, but it was too far to focus. Judging by the light it was early evening. He’d somehow missed a whole day.

The seizures were getting worse. He’d have to ask the doctor about that, but he knew that there was little chance of a cure. He remembered the kids suddenly. Where were they? Marshall turned and as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see that the boy had placed his leg beside him and a glass of water. Done the decent thing. Must have freaked him out to see a man’s leg give way like that. He sighed. Bitch of a job to get the leg back on and get up off the floor, but he’d done it before, he’d be doing it again.

It took ten minutes to strap in and haul himself up. He tried the light switch, but the power was still out. Could be days or weeks before they fixed it, he guessed. He

headed to the storeroom to find his flashlight. That’s when he heard the familiar sound of a chopper flying overhead. Business as usual at the Fortress then. Moucher woke and stood up, stretching beside his basket. He’d be hungry.

‘I’ll attend to you in a minute, boy. Got to get a flashlight.’

Moucher was glad of the company and watched him moving slowly in the dark. A second chopper flew overhead, very low, the throb of its engines shaking the whole farmhouse. Marshall wondered why there was suddenly so much activity. What, he wondered, had gone wrong now?

Upstairs, Rian was vaguely aware of the house shaking, but didn’t care. He couldn’t move. He was in that place between sleep and hell when you’re sick. His head and throat burned and he was sweating. A pill was placed on his tongue, water sloshed into his mouth and fingers gripped his nose to make him swallow. He couldn’t fight it, somehow he swallowed. A soothing hand wiped his face a moment and a voice said something, but he didn’t know what and he settled back again, into half-sleep.

Genie threw the flannel into the bucket and staggered back to the bathroom. She too was on fire and her chest

hurt like hell, breathing was difficult. She swallowed another pill herself. Didn’t know quite how she’d got here or why she was so sick, but Rian was with her and that’s all that mattered. Rian had busted her out and she never had to see her mother again. That’s all she wanted now.

Never to have to see her again.

Marshall found the flashlight. Opened a can of dog food and a can of corned beef for himself. Didn’t know which smelled the worst. Thirty minutes later wasn’t even sure he’d eaten from the right can, but didn’t care. The dog was happy, at least.

The kids weren’t on the ground floor. He guessed they were sleeping upstairs. His son would probably come by in the morning to make sure he was OK. He usually came on a Thursday. He’d discuss the kids with him then. He wouldn’t ordinarily interfere with runaways, but they’d run in the wrong direction as far as he was concerned and a big spider was out there to get them and these weren’t the usual misfits. Someone was going to miss them. Even if they didn’t think so. He had a strong feeling about that. Kids never thought anyone missed them; they were always so sure of not being loved or cared for, but in his experience parents learned a great deal from the ordeal and were always happy to see them returned. So

many kids gone from Spurlake and he suspected, even if he couldn’t prove it, exactly where they had gone, and why they weren’t coming back. He took himself to bed.

Wasn’t tired, but it was dark, nothing could be done now till the morning.

Genie thought she heard birdsong. It was still dark, but a finger of light was visible on the horizon. She still had a lump in her throat but sometime in the night her fever had broken. She had woken and it seemed the antibiotics had started their work. She was going to get better, even if she did feel incredibly light-headed. There was a stale smell of damp in the room. Her stomach growled. How many days had passed since she’d eaten? She had no idea. The golf ball in her throat was uncomfortable and it was difficult to swallow, but she knew she was over the worst.

She discovered Rian was lying naked beside her under the blankets. He seemed to be on fire. The fever was burning him up and the sheets were soaking. She pulled the blankets up around him. He’d need it. It was so dumb. They were finally together and now they were both sick. Life truly sucked.

By the time there was enough light to see, she had had a cold washdown, gotten more pills down her own and Rian’s throat and made them both swallow a lot of water.

Had to keep him hydrated. Rian was pretty sick, but she knew he’d be feeling better by the evening if he followed her pattern. ‘Love you, Ri,’ she’d whispered in his ears.

He’d vaguely squeezed her hand, but he wasn’t really there.

He was still in the grip of this thing. She loved looking at him sleeping; he even frowned in his sleep. Cute.

Genie pulled on her clothes. They were dry now, but musty and stiff and it wasn’t a good feeling against her skin. She had a rash on her chest, a reaction to the pills most likely. She had a memory of that happening before. All she needed. She made her way downstairs, her legs pretty damn shaky under her. The house was strangely silent.

In the kitchen, Moucher was asleep in his basket and clearly thought it was too early to be disturbed. Despite the time of year, the whole house felt chilled. The old flagstone floors were freezing underfoot and she had no idea of what had happened to her shoes. Of course, duh, stupid, she’d lost them in the river. She found a note from Rian on the table.

Eat, keep taking the pills, Gen. I’m getting sick too.

Sorry, I’m supposed to be taking care of you. X Ri Poor Ri. She thought of him back upstairs shivering in the damp bed. Poor, beautiful Ri.

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She boiled water on the propane range. At least she could have tea and oatmeal. The larder had a ton of oatmeal. She thought about home. Whether Reverend Schneider had moved in with her mother or she with him. Then she was thinking about why the old man lived in such a big old farmhouse so far from anywhere. No shops, no cars. Maybe that’s what he liked. Genie wasn’t sure she could live so isolated from other life.

She heard a door slam and a toilet flush. Someone else was awake.

Genie was still stirring the porridge when he came in wearing his red pyjamas, scratching his uncombed hair.

She suddenly remembered the pictures of the missing kids in his bathroom, then a flash memory of this man lying on the ground with his leg missing and all the thoughts she’d had about him, and she froze. How could she have forgotten everything so quickly?

‘Keep stirring, Genie, or it’ll stick.’

She stirred. Whatever this man was, he wasn’t so scary in red pyjamas, dressing gown and wearing an artificial leg. In fact, he looked pretty sick and emaciated. Genie turned back to the range. ‘I made enough for ten people, I think. We got any milk? I guess not, huh?’

Marshall took a deep breath and rubbed his two-day beard. ‘Deep freeze thawed out, but the milk will be

fine. Lot of stuff to eat today by my reckoning. Everything goes off in three days and today’s the day.’ He looked at Genie carefully.

‘You feeling better? I heard you guys groaning and coughing up there, sounded pretty bad.’

‘Ri’s not getting better yet. He’s got a high temperature.’

‘Well, keep him hydrated and let him sleep.’

Genie nodded, pouring out two bowls of oatmeal for them. ‘Got any maple syrup?’

‘By the flour jar.’

She went to get it. A photo dislodged from behind it and fluttered down to the floor. She quickly picked it up and saw it was a boy who looked much like Rian, but with longer hair. She looked at Marshall and he acknowledged her unasked question.

‘My sister’s kid, Dale. Went missing in Nelson about two years ago. Didn’t get on with his father and was failing at school. Thought he’d come to me. That’s what I wanted, but he’s just one of many missing kids now.’

He shrugged.

Genie took the oatmeal to the table as Marshall shuffled over to the deep freeze and took out a defrosted milk carton. He shook it and you could hear the ice hadn’t completely melted yet. When opened, it came out like milk slushy, but at least it was milk. Tea and coffee was

going to be a whole lot better with it.

Marshall watched the girl spoon out the maple syrup into her oatmeal and then eat. He noticed her slim, elegant hands – artist’s hands. Genie said nothing, just let him get his stuff together and they ate in silence.

‘I’ll make coffee,’ Marshall said, rising from the table.

‘Surprised you shook off the fever so quick.’

‘Your pills helped. I recover quickly. Always have. Ri will take longer, I guess.’

Marshall was looking out of the window.

‘Remind me to go looking for that pig. Probably hungry by now and I think we’ve got a lot of spoiled food it can eat.’

‘I forgot about the pig.’ She felt guilty. It would be starving. Then she turned to Marshall and asked the one thing that was on her mind. ‘How did you lose the leg?

Car crash?’

Marshall had the water boiled already and was pouring it over the ground coffee. He didn’t answer right away.

Genie thought she had upset him. She always asked direct questions, often embarrassed herself that way. Marshall found cups and gave them a wipe.

‘I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.’

Now Genie was interested. The oatmeal was burning a hole in her stomach and she had to sit down suddenly, a

sudden hot flush coming over her.

‘You don’t have to tell me.’

Marshall sighed. He brought the coffee cups to the table and set them down. ‘No sugar. Use the syrup.’

The dog wandered over to the door to be let out and Genie stood up again, still dizzy. She let him out. ‘Watch out for the pig,’ she told him. ‘It’ll be hungry.’ She took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her chest. The air was surprisingly cold out there, the sun still lurking behind clouds. She turned to Marshall.

‘So remote up here. How can you stand it?’

‘I like the peace.’

‘Drive me crazy, I think.’

‘I used to live in town, but got tired of it. Discovered I liked the sound of the wind in the trees.’

Genie smiled. It was a good honest answer; she too loved the sound of fluttering leaves. She thought of Rian’s mother. ‘Ri’s ma broke both her legs in a car crash. She makes Ri’s life hell sometimes, but he looked after her well. Learned to cook and everything. I never met her, but she’s got a boyfriend now who’s pretty mean to Ri.’

‘That why he left?’

She shook her head. ‘Because of me. He saved me, but I’m not sure I’m worth saving. Nothing much goes right for me. Shit, I mean, a flash flood. Who was expecting that?’

‘No one did. It was a freak event. You were lucky to survive. God might have a plan for you after all.’

Genie shook her head. ‘Leave God out of it. It was God who got me all locked up in the first place and them all spitting and cursing at me.’

Marshall frowned.

‘If I’ve got one prayer,’ Genie added, ‘it’s for Reverend Bastard Schneider to have drowned and taken all his disciples with him. Far as I’m concerned, God is just an excuse to make people miserable all the time.’